UPDATE: Montana Senate votes against Indigenous Peoples Day holiday

The Montana state Senate voted Tuesday afternoon against discussing a bill that would have established Indigenous Peoples Day in the state Tuesday afternoon following the debate over how the new holiday would replace Columbus Day.

However, at least one member of the Montana American Indian Caucus plans to introduce another bill that would move the state-recognized American Indian Heritage Day to October, the same month as Columbus Day.

Sen. Susan Webber, a Democrat from Browning and a Montana American Indian Caucus member, who introduced Tuesday’s motion to discuss Indigenous Peoples Day, said that she wanted to debate the bill after the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee tabled it on Monday, essentially taking the bill out of commission.

Bills killed in committee can be brought to the floor for debate using a so-called blast motion, which requires a simple majority to resurrect a stalled bill in the Senate. However, the Senate voted 33-17 against the blast motion, with all Republicans except for Native caucus chair, Sen. Jason Small, in opposition.

“There were 39 people who spoke in support of the bill; there were no opponents,” said Webber, Blackfeet, in her opening statement. She was referring to a public hearing held on Feb. 8. “These 39 people came from over the state of Montana to support [the bill], and they deserve to understand why the bill was tabled.”

Sen. Dan Salomon, Republican, spoke on the floor in opposition to the blast motion, where he said that the language and quotes used by the bill’s sponsor during its introduction to the committee made him feel uncomfortable.

“He starts off with, and I can quote, with accusing Columbus of rape, beheading, amputations, slicing torsos in two, and sex trafficking. You can imagine where this hearing went in a hurry,” Salomon said to the Senate.

Salomon also expressed how angry these accusations made him feel in the committee hearing in which he attributed the bill’s failure to its sponsor, Sen. Shane Morigeau.

“Folks, this was the classic, and I do mean classic case, of a bill sponsor killing his own bill,” he said.

Morigeau, a citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and sponsor of the original bill, spoke to the floor in response to Salomon.

“The committee killed the bill, not me,” Morigeau said. “I don’t know how you have a discussion about someone who was identified historically during his time to have done things that were not part of the norm without actually talking about those things. I don’t think we can have discussions about things and hide history and whitewash history.”

Morigeau’s bill was only the latest attempt to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day in Montana. Similar attempts to create the holiday have gone through the Montana Legislature for each of the past four sessions. Supporters say the bill is an attempt to increase education on the history of the state’s relationship with its Indigenous communities.

The bill initially was tabled Monday while in committee with legislators voting on party lines, with seven votes from the Republican senators voting to table and four Democratic senators voting against it.

Morigeau said the move cut short a much-needed conversation.

“Everyone is Indigenous to somewhere,” Morigeau said in a press release. “This is a way to celebrate everyone’s heritage in a way that is inclusive and can promote healing and togetherness. It’s a shame SB 141 was tabled without giving it the conversation it deserved.”

Meanwhile, Webber was prepared for the worst-case scenario. On Tuesday, she had a rough draft of a new legislative bill that would move American Indian Heritage Day from September to Oct. 12, which is considered the traditional day of the American Columbus Day. Federally, the United States now recognizes the holiday on the second Monday of October.

The state of Montana already recognizes heritage day as a day of observance to commemorate the state’s American Indians and their valued heritage and culture. However, Webber’s bill could be seen as another attempt by the caucus to eclipse Columbus Day.

Webber’s bill has not yet been assigned a number.